Being there is half the battle, says North American missionary Debbie Wohler
By Adam Miller
| More Olympics Coverage |
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Vancouver marks the eighth Olympics North American Mission Board
missionary Debbie Wohler (right) has attended, an opportunity she uses to
reach the world for Christ. "One of the things I love about the Olympics is
that I get a glimpse of the world the way God sees it. All its diversity in looks, language and culture. It's overwhelming." |
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| "Whether we're walking the wrong way down a one-way street or making our way to an event, God has given us many opportunities and many different ways to talk about Him," says Debbie Wohler, left, North American resort missionary to Lake Tahoe. She continues to maintain relationships with Olympic athletes and tourists all over the world, all the result of outreach efforts during the Olympic Games she's attended. |
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North American resort missionary Debbie Wohler, right, shares the Gospel as she goes throughout Vancouver, British Columbia, during the 2010 Winter Olympics. Prepared with outreach tools such as keepsake More Than Gold pins, city guides and a heart for helping people see God, Wohler travels throughout populace spots in the city. "I'm just a conduit," she
says. "I show up and see what happens!" |
Vancouver, British Columbia (BP)—After eight Olympics and nearly three decades in ministry, North American Mission Board missionary Debbie Wohler still discerns God’s work in hindsight like the rest of us.
In a matter of minutes on a downtown Vancouver stroll, she has a dozen interactions that could change her life, or theirs. But only God knows.
“There’s no one more surprised than me that I’m a missionary,” said the physical education major turned Lake Tahoe resort missionary.
Her life is full of surprises, and she likes it that way.
“I’m a planner, planner, planner, but after all that planning I have to be open to what God wants to do, not what I want to do.”
At the 2010 Winter Olympics God has shown Wohler the fruit of being flexible. This year she’ll cheer three Olympians from Lake Tahoe—Marco Sullivan, Shannon Bahrke and her brother Scotty—who all grew up in the Big A Club Wohler directs as part of a NAMB-funded ministry to children in Lake Tahoe, California.
“I got to see Shannon take bronze this year on women’s moguls,” she said, beaming a smile on a street corner. “Twenty years ago when we were telling them Bible stories did you think they would be here today? There’s no way I could have seen this day 20 years ago. There are so many God connections you can’t see at the moment but that come apparent over time.”
Making her way to the SkyTrain for an Olympic event up in King Edward, she’s planting seeds for the next 20 years. Her pockets are filled with More Than Gold pins, which provide spectators with a keepsake and a printed presentation of the Gospel.
She’s learned the value of preparedness and the simplicity of pins; in less than a mile it pays off multiple times.
She gives a More Than Gold pin and directions to a lady looking for the flaming cauldron downtown. She gives a pin to a SkyTrain worker monitoring the tracks. The three ladies asking directions outside the restroom. They get a pin, too. They volunteer email addresses. They want to keep in touch.
“Those three ladies,” Wohler said. “Now we’re friends! And they gave me their email addresses and were so grateful for my help and for the pins. You see? Who knows where this will lead.”
In Beijing, Torino and other Olympics of years past it led to friendships she still maintains. Some have become believers.
“In Torino I gave a pin to a blind man. He said he was a believer but that he wanted to use my pins to share with his friend.”
With her quick smile, wit and laugh, Debbie could make friends in any city. But she also shows the power of simply going and letting God work through you as you go.
“Whether we’re walking the wrong way down a one-way street or making our way to an event, God has given us many opportunities and many different ways to talk about Him,” Wohler said, recounting the interview she had last week with a Wall Street Journal report. She was at the wrong place at the right time.
“I’m just the conduit,” she said. “I just show up and who knows what’s going to happen!”
As the day grows late and her event nears, Debbie boards the train and looks around, a More Than Gold pin at the ready. Three iPhone app developers want to know where they can find some coveted Olympic red gloves.
“They’re updating their iPhone app with my information,” she says, as the train approaches her stop. “We have the same exact event schedule for the next three days.”
She grins.
“You see? Who knows what God will do! All I do is show up and start talking.”
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